Which convertible car seat is the best and safest for toddler?

Answer 1

American Academy of Pediatrics says the 'best' car seat is one that fits your car (not all will!), fits your child, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. A seat that almost always fits the bill, in fact I haven't heard of a car it wouldn't work in yet, is the Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon. These 3 are the same seat, just different variances of luxury additions, with the Marathon being the cheapest base model, and it can be found for regular price of $269, and on sale at Albee Baby online for $209-$219. It is one awesome seat! That poster above who praised the Eddie Bauer seat? Please don't go with it. All the Safety1st/Dorel/Cosco/EddieBau... seats (they're all the same company) have sharp pointy edges on the skinny belt paths that will pinch and scratch your hands up every time you have put it in/pull it out. Go to Target or Babies R Us and take a look at the belt path on one of the 3-in-1 seats and then on a Britax seats. BIG difference. I'd skip the Roundabout, its not a good buy for the price, it doesn't last long enough. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. I can get it into 4 different vehicles in under 2 minutes. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats (all car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture) lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. It rear faces to 33lbs, which is very important since babies should stay rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!! If you have your baby front facing at 22lbs, turn her back around! Even the AAP and other safety experts say keep them rear facing to the limits of their seat. They are safest that way. And then the Marathon will front fact to 65lbs, 25lbs more usage than other seats, and it has 17"tall top harness slots, which is important since most kids outgrow their car seat by height before they outgrow it by weight.

Comparitively, the Safety1st/EddieBauer/Cosco seats have 14.5-15" top harness slots. Most kids won't even make it to 40lbs in them b/c the slots are too short, and you're out shopping for a car seat again, since kids shouldn't be in boosters until they are 5-6 years old, at least.

The Evenflo Triumph DLX is an ok seat, I loved the features of it (like the knobs to adjust tightness, and up front height adjustment and recline) until I realized that the short shell meant my son outgrew it at 33lbs, 18 months old!!! Then I had to find him another seat...his third, including the carrier he had as a newborn. If I'd have bought a Marathon from the beginning, I could've bought ONE seat instead of 3! The NEW Evenflo Triumph Advance has solved this problem, though, and it is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. Great choice, if you can find it. It just came out this month and hasn't made it to all the stores yet.

The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible seat is great, it is made by Britax, without all the frills. It's the same shell as a Marathon, but for less than half the price. $130 at Albee Baby online with free shipping, or at their eBay name, babysurplus. Rear faces to 33lbs, forward to 55lbs. Easy to use, fits in most cars.

These are the best you can buy that will give you the most bang for your buck. As a single parent I'm always watching the budget - I have no money to speak of, and these are what I would buy. (My son has a marathon and is soon getting a Britax Regent). They will last the longest. I only wish someone would've told me all this before I had him, I coulda saved some money for the extra seats I started out with!

All seats in the US must meet the same safety criteria to sell, so technically they all are safe, however, if its hard to install, then it won't be used correctly and that makes it unsafe.

Do a search online for any of the seats mentioned, and you can easily purchase them, with most sites offering free shipping for purchases over $100.
www.elitecarseats.com
www.albeebaby.com
www.babyuniverse.com
www.babiesrus.com

Answer 2

the two certainly one of my young ones (3 and a million/2 one year previous and 15 month previous) are in Cosco convertible seats. One i offered these days from Walmart (link below) the different is an older type, yet in certainty the comparable. From what i've got heard, the Cosco seats get extraordinarily stable risk-free practices scores inspite of being very low priced. This one is barely $39. so some distance as convenience - my young ones have under no circumstances complained (and my daughter is honestly able to telling me if she's uncomfortable) so i assume which skill that is effective. that isn't any longer the suited seat for a new child because of the fact the attitude isn't as reclined as an infant seat, besides the undeniable fact that it may be ok on a non everlasting foundation. Use a type of infant head help issues or some rolled up receiving blankets to confirm your infant's head is honestly supported and could no longer flop around.

Answer 3

These seats are highly recommended for quality and safety:

Cosco Scenera $40 lasts most children until ages of 3-4
Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe $129 lasts most children until ages of 5-6
Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE $129-$149 lasts most children until ages 4-5
Sunshine Kids Radian65, Radian80 $199-$249 lasts most children until ages 6-7
Britax Marathon, Decathlon, Boulevard $269-$299 lasts most children until ages of 5-6

You can find great deals on seats at www.albeebaby.com, www.elitecarseats.com and www.tinyride.com

Answer 4

evenflo triumph